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Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning
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Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9337

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jaeyoung Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Traffic & Transportation Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
2. Department of Civil, Environmental & Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: traffic safety; transportation planning; travel behavior; intelligent connected vehicle

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditionally, the transportation field has mainly focused on transportation planning and traffic engineering to optimize the efficiency of the system, while traffic safety has been recently considered an important topic in transportation. Traffic safety and transportation planning had been independently explored for a while. In the late 2000s, the concept of transportation safety planning, which is a comprehensive, system-wide, multimodal, proactive process that integrates safety into transportation planning. It was an excellent idea to consider safety in the long-term planning so it can enhance the safety of the system with multiple aspects. Still, it is necessary to take traffic safety into consideration in analyzing individual travel behavior. When a traveler decides whether travel or not, where to go, how to go, which route to use, etc., the traveler considers not only travel time or cost but also safety or security. Therefore, it is describable to integrate traffic safety and transportation planning (including travel behavior) so we can better understand and enhance traffic safety and planning, simultaneously. Furthermore, in recent years, there have been (or soon will be) considerable changes in our travel environments owing to the existing pandemic and upcoming connected/automated vehicle era. Potential topics of the Special Issue include but not limited to: (1) incorporation of traffic safety into long-term transportation planning; (2) exploration of traffic safety or security in individual travel behavior; (3) effects of the COVID-19 on the changes in perceived safety risk and travel behavior; (4) combination of traffic safety and planning in the environment of connected/automated vehicles. The current Special Issue aims to share innovative ideas about the integration of transportation planning and traffic safety and disseminate useful and practical knowledge and information to practitioners and researchers.

The focus of the Special Issue is to integrate traffic safety and transportation planning. There has been few effort to simultaneously consider traffic safety and planning (including travel behavior) in the literature. The Special Issue aims to share innovative ideas about the integration of transportation planning and traffic safety (possibly considering current challenges in transportation) and disseminate useful and practical knowledge and information to practitioners and researchers.

Few research studies have considered both traffic safety and planning (or travel behavior) in the existing literature. The Special Issue will fill this gap with various ideas to integrate them.

Prof. Dr. Jaeyoung Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transportation planning
  • travel behavior
  • traffic safety
  • COVID-19
  • connected/automated vehicle

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 5245 KiB  
Article
Research on Vehicle Congestion Group Identification for Evaluation of Traffic Flow Parameters
by Marek Drliciak, Michal Cingel, Jan Celko and Zuzana Panikova
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1861; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su16051861 - 23 Feb 2024
Viewed by 592
Abstract
The traffic flow parameters of the road network are most often evaluated through volumes, which are compared with its maximum volume (capacity) or speed and density. Capacity assessment was performed, considering horizontal and vertical orientation and characteristics of the traffic stream. This article [...] Read more.
The traffic flow parameters of the road network are most often evaluated through volumes, which are compared with its maximum volume (capacity) or speed and density. Capacity assessment was performed, considering horizontal and vertical orientation and characteristics of the traffic stream. This article presents the results of research on the identification of different states of creating congestion groups and their relationship to road capacity or decrease in speed. The following hypothesis was verified: when the capacity of the road is exceeded or almost reached, there is “always” a significant drop in the flow of traffic compared to when the capacity is not exceeded. The analysis showed that the average travel speed drops by 30% for the condition where groups of 25 or more vehicles are formed with a time interval of up to 4 s. The results make it possible to set traffic models in short time intervals according to real spatial conditions and to use them in the analysis of the environmental and safety impacts of road transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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19 pages, 2725 KiB  
Article
Variable Speed Limit Intelligent Decision-Making Control Strategy Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning under Emergencies
by Jingwen Yang, Ping Wang and Yongfeng Ju
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 965; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su16030965 - 23 Jan 2024
Viewed by 602
Abstract
Uncertain emergency events are inevitable and occur unpredictably on the highway. Emergencies with lane capacity drops cause local congestion and can even cause a second accident if the response is not timely. To address this problem, a self-triggered variable speed limit (VSL) intelligent [...] Read more.
Uncertain emergency events are inevitable and occur unpredictably on the highway. Emergencies with lane capacity drops cause local congestion and can even cause a second accident if the response is not timely. To address this problem, a self-triggered variable speed limit (VSL) intelligent decision-making control strategy based on the improved deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm is proposed, which can eliminate or alleviate congestion in a timely manner. The action noise parameter is introduced to improve exploration efficiency and stability in the early stage of the algorithm training and then maximizes differential traffic flow as the control objective, taking the real-time traffic state as the input. The reward function is constructed to explore the values of the speed limit. The results show that in terms of safety, under different traffic flow levels, the proposed strategy has improved by over 28.30% compared to other methods. In terms of efficiency, except for being inferior to the no-control condition during low-traffic-flow conditions, our strategy has improved over 7.21% compared to the others. The proposed strategy greatly benefits traffic sustainability in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITSs). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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15 pages, 578 KiB  
Article
Fundamental Analysis of the Ages of Children and Road Structures Involved in Traffic Accidents
by Hiroki Ohnishi, Makoto Fujiu, Yuma Morisaki and Junichi Takayama
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14572; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151914572 - 08 Oct 2023
Viewed by 731
Abstract
The population of children in Japan has steadily declined, and the percentage of the population aged 14 years or younger is smaller than in other countries. Therefore, it is important to protect children by preventing their involvement in traffic accidents. Recent trends associated [...] Read more.
The population of children in Japan has steadily declined, and the percentage of the population aged 14 years or younger is smaller than in other countries. Therefore, it is important to protect children by preventing their involvement in traffic accidents. Recent trends associated with elementary school students show that 90% of accidents occur while walking or riding bicycles. This study aims to clarify the road structures in which traffic accidents involving walking or bicycle-riding children occur. For this purpose, we analyzed the trends based on the age of children and road structures involved using statistical data provided by the Ishikawa Prefectural Police Headquarters. The results showed that the accident rate among students of elementary school age and younger while walking or riding bicycles was mainly high on one-lane roads, roads with no division, and roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h or less. We conclude that to reduce pedestrian and bicycle accidents for students of elementary school age or younger, raising traffic safety awareness among automobile drivers who use community roads is important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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21 pages, 3775 KiB  
Article
Contributing Factors to the Changes in Public and Private Transportation Mode Choice after the COVID-19 Outbreak in Urban Areas of China
by Haiyan Liu and Jaeyoung Lee
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5048; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15065048 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1600
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected the whole of human society worldwide. Travel patterns have greatly changed due to the increased risk perception and the governmental interventions regarding COVID-19. This study aimed to identify contributing factors to the changes in public and private [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected the whole of human society worldwide. Travel patterns have greatly changed due to the increased risk perception and the governmental interventions regarding COVID-19. This study aimed to identify contributing factors to the changes in public and private transportation mode choice behavior in China after COVID-19 based on an online questionnaire survey. In the survey, travel behaviors in three periods were studied: before the outbreak (before 27 December 2019), the peak (from 20 January to 17 March 2020), and after the peak (from 18 March to the date of the survey). A series of random-parameter bivariate Probit models was developed to quantify the relationship between individual characteristics and the changes in travel mode choice. The key findings indicated that individual sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, ownership, occupation, residence) have significant effects on the changes in mode choice behavior. Other key findings included (1) a higher propensity to use a taxi after the peak compared to urban public transportation (i.e., bus and subway); (2) a significant impact of age on the switch from public transit to private car and two-wheelers; (3) more obvious changes in private car and public transportation modes in more developed cities. The findings from this study are expected to be useful for establishing partial and resilient policies and ensuring sustainable mobility and travel equality in the post-pandemic era. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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15 pages, 2094 KiB  
Article
Criteria for Assessing the Safety and Functionality of Tram Stops
by Mateusz Rydlewski and Agnieszka A. Tubis
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13162; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142013162 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1747
Abstract
The selection of criteria in the developed methods of analysis and evaluation has a significant impact on the implemented decision-making processes. For this reason, the very process of identifying the correct criteria is a research challenge worth undertaking. The conducted literature review shows [...] Read more.
The selection of criteria in the developed methods of analysis and evaluation has a significant impact on the implemented decision-making processes. For this reason, the very process of identifying the correct criteria is a research challenge worth undertaking. The conducted literature review shows that in the methodology of assessing tram and bus stops, the researchers focus primarily on aspects related to safety. Assessment of the functionality of tram stops becomes no less important. However, a literature review shows that this range of stops is sporadically mentioned in publications. Meanwhile, from a practical point of view, the aspects related to ensuring the required functionality in the tram stop zone are as important as the safety of passengers. That is why we surveyed experts who perform official functions in cities with a tram transport system. The conducted research was aimed at: (1) assessment of the elements and selected parameters of the stop infrastructure in terms of their impact on the safety and functionality of stops; (2) assessment of the inter-relationship between safety and functionality criteria when analyzing individual factors. The article aims to present the results obtained during the structured interviews and their interpretation. The obtained research results and their classification constitute not only scientific material, but they can also be used by people and organizations involved in the design, evaluation, and modernization of tram stops. The obtained results should also be analyzed by teams developing urban standards for transport infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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16 pages, 11825 KiB  
Article
Improving Older Drivers’ Behaviors Using Theory of Planned Behavior
by Dingan Ni, Fengxiang Guo, Hui Zhang, Mingyuan Li and Yanning Zhou
Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4769; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14084769 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1653
Abstract
The proportion of older drivers has increased with the aging population. In order to improve the driving behavior and safety of older drivers, we aim to analyze behavior differences between older and younger drivers and then study an improvement strategy based on the [...] Read more.
The proportion of older drivers has increased with the aging population. In order to improve the driving behavior and safety of older drivers, we aim to analyze behavior differences between older and younger drivers and then study an improvement strategy based on the older drivers’ behavioral characteristics. Older drivers’ behaviors can be enhanced through training, thereby improving driving safety. Simulated scenarios for behavior analysis and training are constructed for drivers who are recruited from the general driving population. Data on the drivers’ eye movement, physiological and psychological conditions, operation behavior, and vehicle status are collected and analyzed. The theory of planned behavior is adopted to construct a driving behavior enhancement training model for older drivers. Finally, a structural equation model is developed to comprehend the relationship between training level, driver characteristics, and traffic safety. The ability and speed of older drivers to obtain traffic information is worse than those of young and middle-aged drivers, and the vehicle control capability of older drivers has a larger volatility. The driving behavior training model can improve older drivers’ driving stability and safety, as follows: the positive effect of training on driving behavioral improvement is larger than the negative effect of aging; the negative effect of training level on dangerous driving tendency is larger than the positive effect of driver’s aging. The driving behavior of older drivers should be improved for the safety and stability of driving operations through the PNE (perceived-norm-execution) model. The relationship between training level, driving behavior characteristics, and traffic safety is discussed using the structural equation model, and results show that the training can improve the effect of the drivers’ age on the characteristics of driving behavior, and that older drivers tend to decrease dangerous driving tendencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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Other

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23 pages, 775 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review of Railway Trespassing: Problems and Prevention Measures
by Silvestar Grabušić and Danijela Barić
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13878; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151813878 - 18 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1421
Abstract
Railway trespassing is a growing problem in both rail and road transport. A high percentage of rail accidents are a result of the former. Factors that contribute to trespassing accidents range from poor decision-making by the trespasser and general ignorance of rail traffic [...] Read more.
Railway trespassing is a growing problem in both rail and road transport. A high percentage of rail accidents are a result of the former. Factors that contribute to trespassing accidents range from poor decision-making by the trespasser and general ignorance of rail traffic rules to poor infrastructure (e.g., a lack of fences along tracks to prevent trespassing). The objective of this study was to provide a systematic review of the known literature on the problem of trespassing on railway tracks. The methodology implemented for literature collection was in accordance with the PRISMA method. The literature was searched using keywords: railway trespassing, railway trespassing accidents, trespassing factors, trespassing prevention, railway trespassing detection, and railway trespassing education in the Web of Science Core Collection and an additional search was conducted through other literature databases. The starting point was the collection of n = 291 studies of which a total of 72 publications were included in the literature review ranging between 1953–2023. The literature review consisted of 73.6% journal papers, 18.1% conference papers, and 8.3% expert reports. The results were the formation of: (1) Factors that influence the occurrence of trespassing accidents: (a) locations of frequent railway trespassing, (b) the temporal frequency of railway trespassing, (c) trespasser profile and behaviour, (d) motivation for and general knowledge of railway trespassing, and (e) other factors and models for railway trespassing accidents; (2) Measures for trespassing prevention: (a) education measures, (b) signalization, technological and infrastructure measures for trespassing prevention, and (c) pilot studies of railway trespassing preventive measures. The main findings were summarised and discussed with considerations for future work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traffic Safety and Transportation Planning)
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